Durio

Also know as:

What:

Durian could grow up to 50 meters, depending on species. The leaves are dull gold underneath with glossy green leaves. The fruit is thorny, up to 1 foot, typically 3 kg per fruit, with 5 to 15 seeds in. The flower is yellow, and edible. The seeds are also edible as a snack. The fruits hang on mature tree branch, and could be trained and prune despite the contrary believe.

Where:

Why:

• The sweet silky durian is full of sugar, vitamin C, potassium, and good source of carbs and nutrients. Consuming the fruit is good to combat anemic, tiredness, depression, good for teeth, bones and digestion.

How:
Planting
To plant from seed, place seed from mature fruit in depth of 3 times of the seed diameter. Wait until sprouted. However the tree could not bear fruit until it matures, sometimes until 20 years. I usually buy the plant in nursery. The price range from RM 15 to RM 90, according to the variety.

Harvest
The trees are better if you have a few different cultivar in one place to promote cross pollination. The trees usually starts flowering in May and the fruits start to drop in August. The earliest drop are said "buang buruk" or to throw the bad fruits. In certain places, the fruit are taken when it reach maturity to sell in market.

Special needs
The trees could be tall, up to 50 meters, therefore if you want it to reach certain height, loop the primary branch so that it stops growing. The branches could be tied down to promote more horizontal growth and to prune vertical branches. I did not do this for the old trees, but planning to do so for our smaller trees.

Tips

Recipes

Durian crepe
Durian mille cake
Durian cheesecake
Triple layer durian cake

This is my Arwah Ayah (Dad) favorite way to consume durian

Cooked warm rice (Boiled 1 cup rice with 2 cups of water, until water evaporate.)
Sugar
Coconut milk(Grate coconut, add water and drain in sieve, take the milk and discard the grated coconut)
Durian

Put a cup of warm rice in your plate. Add durian or only the flesh. Add coconut milk and sugar, adjust accordingly.

P.s. Some like it watery, some like it a bit dry, adjust accordingly. I like it with a lot of durian, 1/2 cup of coconut milk, and maybe 1 tbs or 2 sugar. 

Who

Citrus Microcarpa

Also know as:

• Native to China, a cold hardy fruits but widely cultivated in Philippines, North America and Southeast Asia.
• We have one in the farm. Going to add more soon!

Health
Soap, shampoo, beauty product, aromatherapy.

• Asthma. Add 5 drop of calamondin with 1 tsp honey. Mixed and drink once a week. 
• Headache. Eat the skin, raw or squirt the juice to your nose. 
• Throat infection, with mucus and slime. add calamondin juice to black pepper and drink for adult or calamondin juice with 1 tsp honey for kids.
• To clean oil residue in cloth, add salt to calamondin juice, scrub it on the cloth and leave for 5 to 10 minutes. Wash as usual.
• Blurry spectacles. Rub the spectacles with calamondin juice and clean cloth.

Who

Citrus × aurantiifolia

Also know as:

• Native to Southeast Asia, brought through Middle East to North Africa, then to Sicily and Andalucia to West Indies, by the Spanish explorers.
• We plant only one in our farm, we hope to add more soon!

Health
Soap, shampoo, beauty product, aromatherapy.

• Ulcer. Washed and press the juice from 1 lime, add water, and drink before eating meal.
• Headache, drink the juice with add water and honey.
• Wound. To heal wound, rub half the lime to injury and leave it dry. (ouch!)
• For healthy kidney, drink the juice thrice a day.
• To lose weight, drink the juice warm.
• To reduce coughing, drink the juice mixed with soy sauce.
• Throat infection, mixed 1/2 cup warm water, juice of 3 lime, 1 tsp honey and gargle the mixture for 3 minutes, 3 x a day.
• Reduce addiction to smoking, sliced the lime thinly, suck on it when you want to smoke and drink a glass of warm water. Repeat as needed for a week.
• Natural deodorant, scrub body with half of lime. Let it dry for 5 minutes before shower as usual.
• Oily face, scrub the lime half on to face (except if there's a cut) and washed after 10 minutes.
• Acne and reducing the scar, apply the lime juice with cotton bud on acne and the scar, washed after 30 minutes. To increase effectiveness, mixed honey in.
• Healthy, thick shiny hair without dandruff and hair fall, washed hair scalp with lime juice and rest for 30 minutes before wash with clean water. Do it 3 x a week minimally.

Who

Citrus Hystrix

Also know as:

What:

A thorny bush, up to 10.7 m tall with aromatic and double leaves shapes, white fragrant blossom and rough, bumpy green fruit.

Where:

Why:

• Widely use in cuisine and the oil is used in perfumery.
• The juice is consider too acidic to use in food preparation, but good for health such as shampoo and perfume.

How:

Tips

Recipes (Mouth watering and I want to make these babies)

Cod with kaffir lime butter
Steamed fish with ginger and kaffir lime.
Kaffir lime mousse
Kaffir lime tart

Busy mom recipe(less than 30 minutes)

Tom yum (I like to call it throw it all in tom yum)

8 cups of water
4 stalks of lemongrass
1 inch of ginger
10 kaffir lime leaves
5 Cili padi (if you like spicy, add more)
1/2 kilo of protein of choice (I like to mixed prawns, cuttlefish and fish patty, maybe even some shellfish.)
6 clove of garlic
1 big onion
10 tsp of lime juice
2 tomatoes
1 cup oyster mushroom
10 tsp of fish sauce.
Salt and sugar to taste

Boiled the water. Pound the end of lemongrass and throw it in. Tear the kaffir lime leaves and throw it in. Chopped ginger into slices and throw it in. Chopped or diced the garlic and throw it in. Don't forget to throw the cili padi in, too. Let it boiled until your house smell like a Thai restaurant, and throw the meat of choice in. Stir.
Add in chopped tomatoes, onions (both cut into wedges) and mushroom in when the meat half cooked. Stir and let them boiled. Turn the heat off, add some salt and sugar to taste, add 5 tsp of lime juice and 5 tsp of fish sauce. Stir, adjust to taste, use all if you like it.

P.s. If you like it, add some cilantro in. I hate it so I usually won't add it in. :) Easy dinner soup with spice and time on your side.

Who

Capsicum annuum

Also know as:

What:

A tropical trees that could grow up to 1m and as wide, with white blossom, with green fruit that turn red upon ripening. Both unripe and ripe are edible, but the ripe one are usually spicier. 

Where:

Why:

• High in vitamin A, B6, E, C, potassium, riboflavin and manganese. 
• It speeds up metabolism, increase circulation and blood flow, facilitating oxygen and nutrient delivery.
• Claimed to be aphrodisiac.

How:

Tips
Although I found many benefits of this plant, I can't seem to have a traditional method other than consuming it raw or cooked. But it is said that it could prevent these when regularly eaten : Cancer, weight loss, lower bad cholestrol level in body, flu and fever, mood enhancer.

Recipes
Jalapeno poppers (Technically this is for Jalapeno, but we could totally use hot pepper rightt)
Ayam masak merah (Spicy chicken gravy)
Asian veggies stir fry

Busy mom recipe(less than 30 minutes)
My mom special sambal

Sambal Godok

5 green cili padi with stalk
10 green peppers
4 garlic bulb
1 big onion
1 cup  dry anchovies
1/2 cup oil
Salt to taste

Blend all coarsely, saute with oil, until fragrant and dry, add salt to taste.

P.s. Great eaten with warm potatoes, yam, cassava, added to fried rice or fried noddles, or even warm rice.
(Available for RM5 per container, text/whatsapp Kate at 014-9174124)

Who

Capsicum annuum

Also know as:
Bird's eye chili / Cili padi / Thai chili / Cili kampung

What:

A small tree with small, tapering fruits with one to three at a node. The fruits are pungent and spicy. Measuring aroung 100,000 to 225,000 Scoville unit. The plant could grow up to 2 m, with white blossom and fruit of green, orange or red colors. However there are some cultivar with rainbow colored chilis.

Where:

• Although the spiciness is their defend against eaten, that is the reason it was eaten! In Southeast, it is use widely in dishes, sauces, condiments or raw. 
• It is also used as ornamental as the colors look striking again the green foliage.
• It has anti bacterial quality which could help to clean wounds and fight the risk of infection in India.

How:

Tips

Recipes

Ayam masak lemak cili padi (Chicken in spicy coconut milk gravy)
Chili steak
Fried rice
Spicy prawn

Busy mom recipe(less than 30 minutes)

Sambal kicap / Soy sauce with cili padi

15 cili padi
4 garlic, bake/dry fry with the skin on
3/4 cup soy sauce (salty)
Sugar to taste

Blend the soy sauce, cili padi with peeled garlic, boiled until fragrant. Add sugar to taste.

P.s. This sambal or sauce is delicious with baked or fry seafood such as clams or fish, as condiments for sour fruit, put some on your porridge or plain broth. We Johorian loves our fried bananas fritter with sambal kicap, while other eat it red sauce.

(Available for RM5 per container. Text/Whatsapp Kate at 014-9174124)

Who

Morinda citrifolia

Also know as:

What:

Noni grows well in shady forest, as well as open rocky and sandy shores. It could grow up to 9 m tall, and start producing fruit in 18 months which yield between 4 to 8 kg. It has large, simple dark shiny green leaves with a cluster of white flower. The young fruit is used as ulam/salad/rojak, the mature one as juice and eaten raw, and the shoots as ulam. 

Where:

Why:

• Choke full with vitamins and nutrients
• Contains phytochemicals, such as lignans, oligo, flavonoids, fatty acid, catechin, alkaloids.

How:

Tips

Recipes

Noni colada
Noni curry
Noni drink (Juice and raw)
Botok botok - a favorite of Johorian and my family.

Busy mom recipe(less than 30 minutes)
A recipe from my granma

Noni salad/Rojak mengkudu
2 young/unripe/green mild yellow noni fruit (Not fully ripe), sliced outer flesh
1 cup sliced green apple
1 cup diced pineapple
1 cup sliced unripe mango
1 cup sengkuang/jicama/ sweet turnip/yam bean

Mixed them all and eat with kuah rojak.

Kuah rojak is available in the produce section for RM5 per container.

Who

Cymbopogon

Also know as:

What:

A plant with long narrow blade leaves, it grows to about 2 m with a magenta colored base stems for Serai Wangi and light green for Serai Gajah. It is widely use in cooking, drinks as well medicinal properties.

Where:

Why:

• Anti oxidant, anti inflammatory properties.
• Used widely in cooking and drinks.

How:

Tips
For cramps and nausea during menstruation, boiled water with lemongrass roots and once cooled, drink it in the morning.
For antioxidant and anti cancer, drink lemongrass juice or boiled water with lemongrass roots. Drink twice  a day consistently.
To whiten yellowing teeth, smash the lemongrass roots and mixed with coal. Do it at least brush your teeth with it at least 3 times a week.
For coughing, boiled the dry grass with 2 cups of water, boiled until reduce to half, drink 3 times a day. or boiled the roots with 1 cup water for 15 minutes and drink it.
For toothache, boiled 40 gram fresh lemongrass with 2 cups of water until reduce to half. Washed mouth with the mixture. (No more Listerine!)
For ulcer, boiled 40 gram lemongrass root in two cups of water until reduce to half glass or a quarter. Drink it twice a day.
To repel mosquito, put the lemongrass and olive oil in aromatherapy cup, with candling underneath to burn it the mixture.
P.s. Lemongrass oil is very warm/hot to the skin, it could cause allergic or uncomfortable. Also not suitable to pregnant women or people with weak heart, as it elevate heart pumping.

Recipes

Viatnamese spring roll with peanut sauce
Chili and lemongrass chicken
Chicken with lemongrass
Lemongrass marinade

Busy mom recipe(less than 30 minutes)

Lemongrass tea

4 stalk of lemongrass roots
4 cups of water
4 slices of ginger root
1 tsp of honey or sugar (optional, to taste)
1 stalk of mint

Boiled the water. Meanwhile, smash the roots and slice the ginger root. Once boiled, pour it on the smashed lemongrass, ginger and mint if you decide to add. Add sugar now or honey once its cooled if decided to use.

P.s. It taste great without the mint and honey/sugar. Calming and a must during rainy days,

Who

Piper sarmentosum

Also know as:

Wild betel / Daun Kaduk / Wild pepper leaves

What:

A crawling plant with high of 0.8. The leaves are usually used in traditional medicine, however the roots have their own uses too. The fruits is said to have sweet and the leaves are milder than betel leaves. Propagate by cutting.

Where:

• Tropical area of Southeast Asia, Northeast India and south China.
• Beside my home, will plant in farm.

Why:

• Contains anti oxidant, anti tuberculosis, and anti plasmodial activities.
• Good for toothache ( No more dentist!)

How:

Health

Tips

• To reduce white discharge, reduce itchyness and redness as well to stay young, the young shoot is washed and eaten as salad/ulam/steamed. The old leaves are boiled and cooled, and washed vagina with it.
• To reduce toothache, chew the leaves with the roots (washed both) or the leaves with ginger. 
• To reduce fungus in toe nails, boiled the leaves and roots and once cooled, soak your feet in it.
• To reduce ill wind, stomach problems, simply warm the leaves on fire/stove and place on stomach or eat the shoots with rice.
• Knead the leaves and paste it onto head/body to reduce headache, ringworm and discoloration. 

Recipes

Miang Kham

Beef and Kaduk

Busy mom recipe(less than 30 minutes)

Ulam

A few kaduk leaves

Cooked white rice ( Boiled the rice with twice the amount of water, until the rice become soft and water reduce greatly, leaving mostly rice. Rice 1 cup, water 2 cups. Add salt to taste if you like)

Cili padi, washed and cut 

Sambal belacan

Protein (here usually ikan goreng(fried fish)/ikan gulai(Fish cooked in red gravy))

Fold the leaf to make it like a con shaped. Put some rice, some protein, a lil bit sambal belacan, a lil bit of cut cili into the cone. Fold the outside leaf to close and put the whole thing in your mouth. Chew. 

Who

Pandanus Amaryllifolius

Also know as:

Daun pandan / Pandan leaves / Screwpine leaves /

What:

A widely use here in cooking as flavoring, which my granma said thrive in wetland. The plant is rare in wild, but widely cultivated. An upright, fan shaped spray of long narrow blade like leaves with a woody aerial roots.  The taste is said to be sweet, almond-ny, vanilla like flavor. Propagate by cutting.

Where:

• Growing wild in tropical countries such Malaysia (me), Thailand, Indonesia, India and Bangladesh.
• Growing outside my home, going to plant them in our farm soon.

Why:

• Aromatic smell, caused by compound 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline, makes it ideal for cooking and baking.
• A cool plant widely use in traditional medicine.
• The oil in the leaves is described as stimulant and antispasmodic, and effective against headaches, epilepsy, sore throats and diabetics.

How:

Health

Tips

• Rheumatic - Take 3 leaves, washed and cut into smaller pieces, cooked with 1/2 cup coconut oil. Cooled it down, then massage into skin.
• High blood pressure - Take a few leaves, washed and boiled with 3 cups of water, once reduce to 2 cups of water, or 1/3 of pot, remove the leaves and drink twice a day.
• Reduce impotence - Take 3 leaves, washed and cut, boiled with 4 cups of water, until reduce to half. Drink twice a day.
• Healthy shiny black hair without dandruff - Take 7 leaves, washed, cut and boil in 4 cups of water until the water turns green, washed hair with it. For shiny hair, add juice of 3 mature nony fruits.
• For simple air freshener and reduce cockroach, take a few leaves and just put where you want. Change every 5 days,
• Insomnia/agitated - Take 2 leaves, washed and cut. Pour in warm water. Once cooled, drink in twice a day (I should try this!)

Recipes

Kuih tako ( vid) (How to make the pandan box) - This is my favorite kuih/snacks

Chicken wrap in Panda leaves

Seri muka - Another kuih I love! 

Pandan Cake - Okayyy I hate to do it again, but I guess I love the smell of pandan... not only the kuih..

Busy mom recipe(less than 30 minutes)

A recipe from my granma.

Onde Onde

10 fresh pandan leaves

1 grated mature coconut 

2 cups tepung pulut or glutionous rice

1/2 cups of small chunks of palm sugar

Salt to taste

Puree pandan leaves and 1 cup of water. Drain with fine mesh, discard the solid and take the juice. 

Mixed in the flour, knead until smooth. Divide as small balls. Pressed in a chunk of palm sugar, and wrapped it up. 

Put in container with a little butter and flour spread on it so it doesn't stick. Boil a pot of water, and using slotted spoon and working in batches, cook the ball in the boiled water. You'll know they are cooked when they float. Drain them. Mixed the salt in coconut, then toss the balls in. 

P.s. I love smaller chunks of palm sugar than 1 big chunk, as the sugar melts, each time you bite into it, it oozes down your chin with the super sweet smelling kitchen. Heaven.

Who

Murraya Koenigii

Also know as:

Curry Tree / Curry leaves / Pokok Kari.

What:

A small tree, often reaching up to 6m, with trunk up to 40cm. The leaves are aromatic, making it one of the important spice in cooking, the leaves are usually eaten cooked or baked. The berries and flowers are usually not eaten.

Where:

Why:

How:

Health

Soap making, body lotion, potpourri, aromatherapy, perfume, bath and massage oil, facial steams, hair treatment, air freshener.

Tips

Recipes

Buttered prawn with curry leaves

Buttered cereal prawns with curry leaves

Vadei(Fluffy) (Crispy)

Busy mom recipe(less than 30 minutes)

My mom in law simple curry

Meat of choices

1 onion, 3 garlic, blend. (I prefer to pound them in the mortar and pestle, more satisfaction and aromatic)

Curry powder

1 stalk of curry leaves

1 Potato, cubed or quartered

3 cups of water

Salt

Oil

Make a small cut all over meat of choice, example chicken.

Marinate with curry powder for at least two hour. (I always do it in the morning before going to work/chores)

Fry the onion paste, curry leaves, potato with the meat of choice. Once they are half cooked, pour 2 cups of water, leave to simmer and occasionally stirred.

Once the broth is reduced to half, add salt to taste. If needed, add the last cup. I usually stop after 2 cups.

Delicious eaten with warm rice. Add green veggies for balanced meal.

No coconut milk, no milk, less fat but taste oh so good.